The invention relates generally to the field of medical devices. Specifically, the invention relates to an endotracheal tube system that provides for proper placement of the endotracheal tube and for subsequence carbon dioxide detection.
A serious problem in the resuscitation of patients is the fast and efficient insertion of an endotracheal tube into a patient and then determining if the tube is in correct placement within the trachea. A medical professional responding to a patient who is not breathing has very little time to react because brain damage occurs after only four minutes without oxygen and brain death occurs at eight minutes without oxygen. Therefore, a need exists to provide the medical professional with an improved endotracheal tube system and method, of use which quickly and efficiently places the endotracheal tube within the patient and tests for proper placement.
Capnography is the term generally associated with monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in an expired breath. Capnography specifically is the process of monitoring the concentration of exhaled carbon dioxide in order to assess the physiological status of patients receiving mechanical ventilation and to determine the adequacy of ventilation. It is difficult for the medical professional using a respirator to determine whether the patient is receiving an adequate flow of oxygen without some form of capnography. The medical professional must observe whether the lungs are filling with air or whether the stomach is gurgling because it is filling with air but without some form of capnography the medical professional is not assured whether the patient is receiving an adequate flow of oxygen. For example, the endotracheal tube may be inserted into the patient's esophagus instead of the trachea. Therefore, a need has arisen for an efficient and economical way of determining whether the patient being treated with a resuscitator is actually receiving oxygen.
Carbon dioxide detectors are well known in the prior art for use with an endotracheal tube. However, the prior art carbon dioxide detectors are both cumbersome and time consuming. Moreover, the prior art carbon dioxide detectors are not integral with the endotracheal tubes and therefore create problems when assembling prior to use upon a patient. Accordingly, an objective of the current invention is an improved endotracheal tube system which incorporates a CO2 detector directly to an endotracheal tube, creating a single device.
There have been attempts in the prior art to design a resuscitator that integrates a carbon dioxide detector. An example of such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,687 to Kirk. Unfortunately Kirk is both time consuming and cumbersome because it incorporates a carbon dioxide detector into the resuscitator. Therefore, a medical professional using Kirk must incorporate a disposable CO2 detector upon the regulator thus requiring an additional step above merely inserting the endotracheal tube into the patient. A further example of a combination carbon dioxide detector and resuscitator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,974 to Ratner. Ratner attaches the CO2 detector directly to the resuscitator and has the same disadvantages as the Kirk patent. Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to incorporate the CO2 detector in an adapter that may be placed between the endotracheal tube and a bag valve mask.
A further problem in the prior art is the inability to administer medications through the endotracheal tube without coming in direct contract with a carbon dioxide indicator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,999 to Leiman discloses a device for determining of proper endotracheal tube placement using a carbon dioxide indicator in open contact with the endotracheal tube; therefore, medication placed into the tube may easily contact the carbon dioxide indicator. Moreover, the Leiman patent may use support structure that makes the CO2 housing cumbersome. Accordingly, it is a still further objective of the present invention to have a structure that prevents the carbon dioxide indicator from being contacted with medicine and to use the minimum of space outside the air channel of the housing to prevent a cumbersome structure.
An additional problem with the resuscitation of patients is the difficulty in placing the endotracheal tube within the trachea. This difficulty is overcome using a metal stylet placed within the endotracheal tube before insertion into the patient. The stylet provides rigidity to the endotracheal tube which provides the medical professional control of the flexible plastic tubing of the endotracheal tube. The stylet is not reusable and must be disposed after every use. The stylet is necessary in emergency situations to assist in manipulating an endotracheal tube through the glottic opening of the trachea that may be closed, partially collapsed, or blocked. The medical professional, because he or she may not know of the problems associated with the trachea, must use the stylet as a default for manipulating the endotracheal tube. Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to incorporate a stylet into the endotracheal tube system.
Furthermore, prior art stylets commonly bend when pulling the stylet from the endotracheal tube and add to the risk of accidental removal of the tube from the trachea. Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to incorporate an affixed handle to prevent bending and assist in the removing of the tube from the trachea. Additionally, the stylet and handle may be in close proximity to a carbon dioxide detector that needs to be protected from outside air. Accordingly, it is a still further objective to provide a handle that has the capability to block outside air from contacting the carbon dioxide detector.
A still further objective of the present invention is to minimize the amount of pieces and assembly required by medical personnel. Every additional piece that is not preassembled creates increased search time for the pieces, the possibility of dropping the pieces, and the concern for inadequate attachment of multiple parts of the assembled system. Therefore, a further objective of the present invention is to create an improved endotracheal tube system which has all pieces preassembled into a combination such that only a resuscitator or bag valve mask needs to be attached it.
A still further objective of the present invention is to minimize the amount of time for capnography and subsequent verification of endotracheal tube placement within the trachea as opposed to the esophagus. It is of the utmost concern that no time is wasted for attaching and assembling pieces to the endotracheal tube that could have been preassembled and packaged.
In addition, it is a still further objective of the present invention to produce an improved endotracheal tube system that is sold as a set as opposed to the individual pieces of an endotracheal tube, a CO2 tube detector, and a stylet. The set can be sold for a reduced price as opposed to the individual prices set for individual pieces.
These and other objectives of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.